It's not too late, it's never too late
by boingfic
Summary: New York. Once glorious, now just a shadow of mankind, having all life sucked out of it. Compassion and humanity have been drained from the world. No one cared, no one fought for their rights any longer. It was a dead world.


New York. Once glorious, now just a shadow of humanity, having all life sucked out of it. The skyscrapers stood tall, blending in with the dark sky. The sky once bright and blue, bringing happiness to people now was just dark and grey, its clouds covering up all of the sun's rays. The guards patrolled the city, making sure that peace and order were kept. Their brutal methods sickened me. Compassion and humanity have been drained from the world. No one cared, no one fought for their rights any longer. It was a dead world.

A long time has passed since Loki's attack. I never knew what went wrong. The Avengers failed. SHIELD failed. And I failed. My city, my home was now a dead place. People lived their lives in fear, not knowing when the Guards will come and take them. They followed orders, losing the last ounce of their humanity. This behavior made me sick. It was hard to believe that we've shrunk to this.

The rain fell from the sky in big drops, causing a loud pattering sound across the city. I was perched on the roof of the Brooklyner building, looking down at the street. There weren't many people out. A few chitauri patrolled the streets, shoving people who dared step out of line.

That is what the world has come to. I didn't like it at all. The events of four years ago were burnt into my head, haunting me at every moment of my life. It was unavoidable. I didn't dwell on this fact. I fought against with everything that I had. Revenge was my fuel at this point. Luckily, it wasn't just me.

The City was split up into sections. Loki hadn't changed that, but the people who lived in each boroughs were divided. Manhattan was Loki's domain. He banished anyone who said no to his rules to Staten Island. The chitauri and the rest of Loki's allies were situated in Bronx. Queens and Brooklyn are where the humans were meant to live. The conditions there however cannot be said along with the word live.

It was in the heart of Brooklyn, where I take the injured or the people who are willing to fight for a good cause. There, some old friends manage the team. I am only the guardian, the recruiter if you will. I wasn't afraid to risk my life or to kill anyone on Loki's side. I believed that if they were serving him, if anyone is stupid to listen to him, they deserve what is coming to them.

I straightened, taking a quick glance at the road below me and took a step forward, falling to the ground and landing gracefully. I blended with the people. All wore dark clothing and had hoods or hats on their heads. The looked down at the dirty pavement, not daring to bring their gaze up, fearing that the Guards will do something to them. I walked swiftly and in order, not raising any alarm to the guards. They don't know anything about my plans.

I turned into an alley, sticking to the shadows, masking my presence. Over time I've become a master at hiding myself. It took me a little over five minutes to get to the alleyway. As I thought, there were already new prisoners. Some of the men I recognized while some were new to me. I ducked behind a dumpster, taking my time to evaluate the amount of guards there. Luckily, the prisoners were huddled up and surrounded by an electric fence. Deactivating the fence wouldn't be a problem. I would leave that for last. I quickly located an escape path as well.

I grabbed a couple of smoke decoy bombs from my belt. It was a primitive structure and design but it did the job. I flicked the small devices into the open area, in order to lure the guards away from the prisoners. I kept put behind the dumpster, waiting for everything to begin. Their voices began to come closer and closer. I peered out from behind the dumpster and smiled to myself seeing the guards, standing over the smoke bombs.

Now for the fun part, Caltrop bombs. I took a few and tossed it into the smoke. Caltrop bombs were designed to blow up, shooting out millions of small spikes that were dipped in poison. This will slow down the guards movements, making it easier for anyone to take them down. Tony, our weapons specialist, made my simple idea possible. The Chitauri guards yelled up in pain, as the spikes penetrated their skin. That was my cue.

I jumped out from behind the dumpsters, taking a running start and jumping onto the first guard, killing him in an instant. I pulled out my claws, turning, slicing the armor of the other two guards. I finished them off by taking out the Walther P99 pistol and shooting both of them with great accuracy. The alarm sounded, as other guards began to rush at me from the camp. I pulled out my other pistol and began shooting at them, taking them down one by one.

Their weapons may be more powerful, but I knew their weak spots and not much force was needed to bring them down. My ammo ran out, so I took on two guards in hand-to-hand combat. Having an advantage of claws, they didn't stand a chance. I kicked their bodies over, before finishing up the other two guards. I had a limited amount of time now, but the fact that there weren't any guards left to track the small party was to our advantage.

Running over to the monitor, I pressed a few buttons making the electric fence disappear. The people that were once bound by it were free. They stood up, looking around confused. I could see fear on their faces as their gaze was set on me. A man stood out from the crowd, standing tall and walking to the head of the group.

"Piotr." I recognized the fellow mutant. He wasn't captured long ago. Last I remembered he lead a small group of men that were willing to fight to the West side of the city, in an attempt to reclaim some of the old buildings.

"Our troops fell. We were outnumbered. I tried to save as many men… but that battle was a great loss."

"To time for that now Piotr." I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Lead the men to the sewer drain. I will cover you." I ordered. Piotr didn't ask questions, but began to trot towards the drain. He picked up the metal piece jumping down first. "Move!" I yelled coldly. The people didn't complain, they ran for their lives.

I stood guard, watching for any chitauris, while the people jumped down the drain where Piotr was waiting to catch them. We were running out of time. I picked up the last child and jumped down, pulling the drain with me. From there I just prayed that the guards didn't see us.

"We need to hurry." I demanded quietly. Piotr knew the way and lead the people. They followed him quietly, the children clinging on to some of the adults. I fell back a bit, making sure we weren't going to be followed. Soon we reached the ladder. Our party stopped and let me go to the wall. I pressed in a brick, opening a secret passage.

"Hurry." I said, letting Piotr go in first. I was glad for his presence. This would've been a whole lot harder without him. He disappeared into the dark tunnel, the people following close suite. The same small child fell to the floor, causing a splash of water. I picked him up quickly, stepping into the passage and closing it. I followed the rest of the party, knowing that we would get to safety shortly.


End file.
